Virginia Beach,Virginia, Preacher’s Residence
The feel of soft hands, cradling his face and a soft, warm kiss brought him awake, the familiar scent of jasmine making him breathe deeply.
“It’s about fucking time, babe.”
Preacher’s mind weighed down with sleep, he opened his mouth beneath the pressure, savoring the warmth, the gentleness, the sweetness. The passion roused him, and he yielded to the deep kiss, lost in a thousand sensations. So beautiful. So unbelievingly gentle.
“I’ve been dreaming about that for some time. It was worth picking your lock and sneaking in here.”
Eager to see her stunning face, he opened his eyes, not wanting to let go of the feel of her mouth.
Karasu smiled a soft, lopsided smile, her eyes smoky with emotion. Brushing off the vestiges of sleep, he smiled back, loving the feel of her hands against his face. “Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi, babe.” She slipped her hand beneath the covers.
“Ooh, just what the doctor ordered. Morning wood. Don’t mind if I do.” She stripped down and pulled off the covers, taking him into her mouth, and he lost his mind for the next hour.
When he came back to himself, she was facing him, watching his face. “You still look damn good,” she whispered.
“Hmm, you too. Feel good, too,” he sent his hands over her body. She purred.
He rose up, not going to wait another moment. He leaned over her, and she squirmed beneath him. “Oh, is it already time for round two.”
He came back with a black velvet box, and she looked up at him sharply.
He sobered at the flash he saw in her eyes.
“Why are you scared?”
She tipped her head and met his gaze. “I don’t know. Screwing this up, going home, people asking questions I can’t answer. Reuniting might threaten their lives. All of the above.”
“But not to marry me?”
“Fuck, no. You’re the only one who doesn’t scare me.” Her fingers trembling, she touched his mouth, then kissed him. When she settled back, her eyes filled with tears. She swiped at them, and he did too with his thumb. “Let me see this rock.”
He opened the box, and it was simple, a row of black diamonds fanning out from either side of a small raven in the center made out of platinum, one dark diamond for her eye.
She inhaled sharply. “Oh, Boyce,” she said with awe. “It’s beautiful. The answer is a very decisive yes. You know, in case you were wondering.”
“I haven’t asked you.”
“I got the gist. There have been times when I wanted to kill you, fuck you and deep in my heart, marry you. I think I’ll choose to marry you, with plenty of fucking on the side.”
He chuckled. “You are something,” he said, sliding the band onto her finger, surprised at how steady his hands were when he was shaking inside.
“Like…as spectacular as the Grand Canyon.” She looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes, the tears still wet on her cheeks.
“This is supposed to be a serious occasion, ma’am. I was thinking more like a pain in my ass.”
“Ooh, want me to kiss it?”
He shook his head, his throat going tight. “It goes without saying that I love you.”
She threw herself against him, clung to him for a long time, then she drew a heavy breath. “I love you so much. I never thought I could ever love anyone…then there was you.”
He waited until he could speak, then lifted her face, covering her mouth with a slow, searching kiss. Her breath caught, and she turned in his arms as Preacher tightened his hold around her, savoring the moment that he had been waiting for so long.
“I want to go home, Boyce. They deserve to have their daughter back, and I deserve to have family. There’s nothing more important than family.”